The Shadow of the Sprirals
by fireflyshanks
Summary: What if Naruto knew a bit of his heritage early? What if someone took the time to get to know and train him? This is the beginning of the Assassin of Uzushio. Rated M for future violence. Pairings not chosen yet.


So this is my new story. First (real one anyway) online. For a more complete summary.

Learning part of his lineage after an attack at the age of 8, Sarutobi sees fit to give him some extra training from a certain ANBU. This while not extremely large change leads not to a super battle Naruto, but instead to a path not common, but definitely not unused by his mothers clan. The path of the true assassin. He will be powerful, but his enemies and life will be different for it.

So, pretty much, he won't be super broken Gary-Stu. But he won't be retarded puppy-love orange bomb. I will make him strong, but he will work for it. I will make him different, but that is the point of fanfictions.

Anyway, this is more for future chapters than anything.

"I am talking now!" **"Jutsu no Jutsu!" **_'Thinking is fun!' __**"Demons/Inner Sakura/& Big things!"**_

Last, I, Fireflyshanks, Arashisenko or Myrridin Emrys (all three of my online names) in no way, shape or form own Naruto. Those belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own what I create for this story, such as OCs or unique Jutsu.

Enjoy!

_*Eight years after the Kyuubi attack*_

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* * *

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Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a tired sigh, feeling everyone of the eighty years in his withering body. A mere eight years he had added on to his reign as Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, eight years since both his successor and predecessor had died fighting the force of nature commonly known as the Kyuubi no Youma. 8 years he had been fighting with his own village, his people. His friends. All over an innocent boy. A boy, who they decided was responsible for everything that happened that fateful October 10th.

It baffled him how ignorant people could be. How they could sing the praises of their 'Beloved Yondaime' out their ass, specifically devolving that skill just to sing his praises twice as much. And yet, every single day since then, the vast majority of the village had shown how little they thought of him and his seemingly endless skills. They threw out his wishes, his DYING wishes as though they were trash.

And now, he was up to his ears in whining and bickering from his 'esteemed council' about his latest choice regarding the Jailor. His choice to enroll the boy in the Ninja Academy. They didn't seem to understand that not training him as a ninja, and to control the demon he held would eventually lead to the boys body being eroded by the far more potent demon chakra or he would slowly be driven insane by the immense pressure of a second consciousness in his head, not actively kept in check with human chakra.

Another tired sigh escaped his lips as he slowed his musing and looked at the clock adoring the far wall.

The ancient Shinobi nearly swore. In 10 minutes he had another council meeting to deal with. Another session of old fools past their prime feeling far above their station trying to play God. But like he had done for the last 8 years since making after mentioned council, he endured. Because he was just too tired to deal with everything in the village in his advanced age. Resigning himself to his self created fate, he rose slowly, creakingly only to be stopped.

Two ANBU nearly flew into his office through the nearest window, both looking extremely distraught. Immediately kneeling before their lord they waited, almost impatiently for their lords approval to speak the report they were seemingly bother by.

Sarutobi was worried by this. These two ANBU were well known to him. Bear and Lion were both very experienced, powerful and 'in-control' ninja. For them to be as bothered as their body language was showing would indicate that something was very, very wrong. Steeling himself for whatever may come, he finally gave them leave to speak.

"Report." His voice let out, with no emotion, but immense authority.

The first ANBU, Bear was the first to respond. His voice almost shaking as he spoke. "Hokage-Sama, there has been an incident with Uzumaki." Bear nearly flinched as he felt the wave of cold killing intent from his leader wash over him. Despite the feeling of dread of what the rest of the report would do he continued on. "While following young Uzumaki in his daily wanderings, w were intercepted by two ninja claiming to also be in the service of ANBU, these ANBU were able to impede us long enough to temporarily lose sight of our charge. By the time we found him again, he had been thoroughly beaten and lost a severe amount of blood. He has been rushed to Konoha General and is being treated as we speak under full guard."

Having heard this report the wizened Hokage let his mind run with it. They boy was hurt. His trust ANBU told him the boy was going to be okay. But, these same ANBU had also just failed to protect him from whoever had beaten him. And what had they said about that.. 'A pair of ANBU claiming to be in the service as well.'

Claiming. That was a powerful word in the context of the report. His top ranked, most power, most intelligent ANBU doubted that these 'supposed ANBU' were actually ANBU. But what would that mean? If they were just ninja dressing up as ANBU their clothing and equipment would not so much as come close to the high grade standards that were given to each Black Operative.

But for the men who distracted his team to successfully distract them, they would have to have legitimately appeared as ANBU, and something later, a misspeak, a sign, something tipped his team off. If infact his team was right in their deductions.

But if they were right, there was a whole slew of problems. Someone had access to ANBU equipment, something under lock and key almost equal to the lower levels of the forbidden library in the Hokage tower. Not only that, but for his team to even stop and not completely ignore the intruders, they would have to know the emergency passphrase that was given at the change of each guard to let the guards know that it was okay to listen to whatever the speaker had to say, that it was from the Hokage.

So, there was a possibility of an unknown number of people, with unknown access to an unknown amount of his ANBUs equipment through unknown means and had used it to perform a simple, non-fatal attack on Naruto. If these were ninja that wanted him dead, those few seconds his guards were away, they would've simply stuck a kunai in his throat. But they beat him instead. Why?

After almost 10 minutes of musing on the recent attack he turned back to his still kneeling ANBU. Regarding almost as he would children who had taken from a cookie jar.

"Bear, Lion. I assume you already know I now have suspicions as to what happened. Consider yourselves on suspended duty as of now. Report back tomorrow for your temporary assignments until such a time as I can discern what truly happened." Casting a look somewhere between a glare and a disappointed scowl. "Dismissed"

Watching his ANBU blur out of the window, he silently mused the merits of being even later to the council meeting his was now, after casting a glance at the clock, definitively five minutes late for to go and visit the boy that he cared for almost as though he was truly family. Deciding to himself that and innocent, injured jailor was a far more worthy being of his time than a group of mostly dead, political fossils, he set off for the hospital. Hoping the entire time that the boy truly was going to be okay.

* * *

Pain, the young boy named Uzumaki Naruto, was a world of its own. It was something that could come in, take over your life and reduce you to whatever it wanted you to be. It was a less of a feeling and more of a force.

Even more so when one was trying desperately to remain in the blissful escape of unconsciousness to keep away from the terrible world of being awake. But like all children, even those in pain, once woken from his slumber nothing could put him back to sleep.

Despite his young age he had learned long ago that if he learned where he was before he opened his eyes, he stood a much better chance to get away from whoever his attacker may be.

Currently, his ears were telling him that he was in a small room. From the light buzzing and slow, almost lazy beeping, there was at least one machine near him. Not being able to hear any breathing, footsteps of words around him, he assumed that he was alone in the room that smelled of disinfectants. That was when he nailed where he was. The hospital.

How he hated the hospital. It was another sign that he was injured again. It was more time he couldn't be training to be the best ninja ever! But worst of all, he was subjected to those evil beings known as medics.

But it also meant another thing for him. That he was alive another day. He survived another attack and that me might yet make it to being the best ninja in the world. Another day he could make his 'Jiji' proud.

As if Irony was reading his mind, said Jiji walked right into his room the moment Naruto thought about his surrogate grandfather. Naruto slowly tilted his face, eyes still closed in a sleepy manner towards the sound. Letting his nose do its work, he took in a few experimental breaths. Immediately his nose was inundated with mixtures of Tobacco, the earlier disinfectant smell and a strange scent, that had he traveled more he would've known was the smell of simians.

At the scent of his Jiji he immediately relaxed and allowed his eyes to open. Staring at the warm brown of eyes of the Sarutobi Hokage, the slowly smiled and began his normal hospital greetings.

"Jiji! You're here!" He nearly yelled, forgetting that the doctors always got mad at him for his childish exuberance. "I've been waiting forever. I'm all better now! Can you make those stupid doctors let me go?" He almost bounced his earlier apprehension and the attack completely out of his head.

The old Kage, all too used to this ritual of theirs played his next part perfectly. "Now, Naruto-kun. You know that I have no authority over the civilians who run this hospital… But, It couldn't hurt if you were to say, appear at a certain ramen bar in an hour or two, now would it?" Smiling brightly as he finished his line in the long running game, he desperately tried to hide that anguish that he felt, from this being such a regular occurrence that an eight year old boy found this fun.

He continued, "But for now, Naruto-kun. Now that I know you are feeling better, I have a very important meeting to attend. But rest assured, we will be seeing each other _very soon._" He winked and smiled broadly as he turned to leave the room, letting Naruto know that no meeting in the world could stop their coming Ramen meal.

The sadness on the face of the weathered man was covered by his retreat as he finally, taking yet another glance at the closest clock he could see, 34 minutes late, would be heading to see that demanding council.

* * *

Walking into the brightly lit, tri-tiered chamber Sarutobi sighed again, calling the meeting to order. To his surprise, the first part of the meeting, the part where normally those aligned against him would grill him for everything they could try to use against the boy they hated so much. But instead they were going over almost _mundane _business figures and marketing needs for the civilians.

But all too soon it came to an end. In almost a non-sequitarial fashion, one of his oldest teammates Utatane Koharu spoke up. "Hiruzen, we have heard, yet again reports of the Uzumaki boy being attacked. But this time, with his guards distracted and non witnesses or evidence of who did it. How long are you going to let this boy roam free?" Koharu spoke in a clipped tone.

Before the leading Ninja could speak up, more outcries of the freedom of said boy came from the crowd. Immediately another spoke up, and despite his appearance and calm low tone, all quieted down.

"Sarutobi. This is yet another reason that you should give the boy to me. Not only can I keep him _safe_ but I can train him to be twice the ninja anyone in this village could ever hope to." Came the low, short voice of Shimura Danzo. Scarred, bandaged and sans a limb he still held enough power over the civilians and some of the les savory ninja to command a tremendous amount of respect.

Through all of this, Sarutobi had to grit his teeth painfully to prevent himself from losing his shortening temper. But, when the next civilian commented his thoughts his controlled slipped.

"Yeah, Sarutobi. You can't even keep a boy safe, I demand to know why this is even your choice!"

The flood of KI that entered the room then was unlike anything anyone in the room had ever felt. From the most experienced from Clan head to the most simpering civilian, not one of them could breathe at the moment.

On the other side, Hiruzen had just realized what I mistake he had made in originally forming this council. That he had gone on for eight years letting these idiots and upstarts think that they had some form of power over him, that they had any authority to **demand** something of him.

"This ends now. I see that I made a mistake when I formed this body. I thought to make Konoha a better place by letting other help in the running of her needs." He paused, glaring at everyone, but letting up on his KI, lest some of the fools before him suffocate. "But I see that most of you have grown past your posts. Or maybe you started off thinking you are better than you are. None the less, as is my right as the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, I disband this body effective immediately." His commanding voice boomed out into the room. The scribe, so shocked that he forgot the write the edict the lord of the village made.

"And you," The Hokage turned the civilian merchant, he remembered who had questioned and demanded answers of him, "will be learning your place. It is time I let this village know who its leader is. You questioned the conduct and validity of my rule. That is treason. ANBU, take him to Ibiki." Not a second later two masked Ninja dropped down from hidden spots in the shadows to drag the now screaming man away.

"I call this council meeting to an end, and will be reviewing your conduct and choices over the years. Rest assured that you will be called forth for even the smallest indiscretion. Go home, and set your affairs in order. You will not be able to run far enough if you hurt this village in any way. Dismissed." As he boomed his final words to the now defunct governmental group, he turned on his heel and walked out, feeling more like his old self than he had in years.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto sat quietly, swiveling in a bar chair sitting at his favorite Ramen bar. Both Ichirakus, Teuchi and Ayame staring at him with a small amount of worry. He had been here for almost an hour and not yet ordered a thing. Besides his muttered 'hello' upon entering the stand he hadn't said a word.

They both knew he only forestalled eating his personal ambrosia on the days when he was waiting for the Hokage to join him. But today was abnormal. On the routine days that the Sandaime joined Naruto, he was there no later than half of an hour past when Naruto arrived. But today, an hour, going on an hour and a half, something big must be happening in the village to keep the Hokage running so late.

But irony, not one to pass up a dive at the Uzumaki scion didn't fail in her appointed duty. Not the second that the Ichirakus finished their trains of thought, the old man in thought walked through the hanging drapes, and for being so late, they were surprised to see him with such a large smile on his face.

Naruto, hearing the rustling of the drapes that he himself was too short to reach, turned instinctively knowing it was his meal ticket for the night. Turning with a wide grin on his face, he was deeply surprised to see an almost matching grin on the face of the man many times his elder.

"Uhh… Jiji, are you okay? You look… different." Naruto questioned slowly, worried that his Jiji may have hit his head or something. It would explain his tardy arrival and odd grin he could never remember seeing before.

"Yes, my boy. I have just taken care of a few problems that have been troubling me for years. One of them pertains to you, actually. It is something I've wanted to do for years." Sarutobi finished, his grin almost growing, from its already extreme proportions across his face. "Now, I would like to invite you to my office for a talk after we have our Ramen, would that be alright with you, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto, now cottoning on to something important going on, immediately agreed. And for the first time in their lives, the Ichirakus found out that Naruto could indeed eat faster than his normal 'ramen-speed' as Naruto called it. No sooner than fifteen minutes later (most of which was cooking time, for Teuchi) Naruto were bidding their farewells to the Ramen stand family and making their way to the Hokage tower.

Upon arriving in the old office, lined with portraits of all the Kages to pass through the office, Naruto ran to his favorite seat, quickly sinking into the old softened leather. The man he was with however made his way slowly to his chair, opposite Narutos own chair. Relaxing back into, as he only could around the exuberant boy he let his large grin turn into a slightly more subdued smile.

"Naruto-kun, before we go on, I must tell you that I am sorry. Some of what I will tell you may hurt some, but I ask you to wait until then end please." Looking at the boy's nod of understanding, he continued. "Do you know what the council was, my boy?"

Naruto looked pensive for a second, before shaking his head in a distinct no.

"Well, Naruto-kun. The council was a group I made when I first took the office back after the Kyuubi attack that you learned about in the Academy. They were supposed to help me run the village better but the-"

"Wait! Jiji, what do you mean 'help you run the village better? You're the Hokage! You don't need help!" Naruto shouted, forgetting his agreement to wait until the end to speak.

"I may be the Hokage, but I am only one person. This is a good lesson, Naruto. No matter how great one person is, they are still only human. And because I am so old, I find myself getting tired more easily that I used to. So I asked for help. Remember, if you ever need help, you shouldn't be ashamed to ask, okay?" Sarutobi patiently explained to the boy, not at all having expected him to wait to talk.

He continued, "So, as I was saying. They were supposed to help me, but they didn't. Instead they used the power I gave them to try and make more money for themselves, or to get people in trouble. You see how this is a bad thing, Naruto-kun?" At the boy's vigorous nod, he went on, "Well because I was tired like I said, I never really tried to stop it. And to my shame, I even let them get away with small demands from me. Because putting them in their place would've been too hard."

He got up and began pacing his window at this point, seemingly talking half to himself and half to Naruto. "They crossed a line tonight, Naruto. That is why I was late. I finally got up the energy to get rid of them. To stop their wrong doing." He looking over at the young boy sitting there, staring at him with ever more respect than before and knew that at least some, if not most of that would be gone before the night was through.

"Naruto. One of the things they did in the past, one of the things I let them get away I am going to correct tonight. And I want you to know, that no matter what anyone else says I always regretted that and always will." He paused staring out the window at the Hokage monument. "Naruto, I know who your parents were."

Naruto, who had been patiently sitting there, listening to his Jiji rant about things that didn't seem important gasped. He nearly fainted. In his whole short life there were only three constants. That Jiji was there for him, that the vast majority of the village seemed to hate him and that he could never get that curiosity of who his parents were to leave him. To learn that two of these could change drastically tonight shocked him more than all the murder attempts in his young life combined.

"I'm truly sorry I never told you Naruto. And I am even sorrier I can't tell you about your father still. It was his dying wish that I give you a letter from him, _**only**_ when you reach Chunin or the age of 18. Whichever is to come first. But, I will do everything I can to tell you about your mother tonight." Seeing the boy in tears was tearing his heart to pieces, but he carried on. "Your mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina. She was a ninja of exceptional beauty, skill and wisdom. But she did not originally come from Konoha." He paused to pass Naruto a small picture he pulled out of a sealed desk drawer. Hearing Naruto gasp and seeing him stare at it with all the love a young orphan who had been denied love could muster he paused, letting Naruto commit her face to memory.

"Naruto, I am sorry, but this is going to be a little history lesson. Your mother was originally from a village called Uzushiogakure. It was a great land and ally of Konoha's since the first Great War. All the ninja there were prized for their Suiton, Fuuton and Fuinjutsu. But during the third war, Iwa didn't like us having a powerful ally. So they went around us and destroyed our ally before we could help. Your mother was the only one from the entire village to survive."

Seeing Naruto a bit peeved at having to hear more _boring history_ but interested because it involved his mother, he continued, he his feeling less burdened than it had since he gave up the Mantle.

"She was brought here, and we nursed her back to health. She was withdrawn though. I remember meeting her as a child, and she was almost livelier than you, Naruto-kun. It was very sad to see her so withdrawn. But one day, she met your father, and they became fast friends, and through the years, they came to love each other. But, because your father had secrets, they also had to keep their relationship secret. That is the main reason I can't tell you about him, and I am truly sorry for it."

And then, for the first time since his outburst, Naruto spoke. "Ano… Jiji. I feel like I should be mad at you. But I don't want to be… I just want to know. Can't you tell me now? I promise to keep it a secret!" Naruto almost begged towards the end.

The Sandaime, moth still agape from hearing that Naruto wasn't mad at him, for whatever Kami-blessed reason, composed himself and spoke "Naruto, I don't doubt you could keep it a secret, but your father made me swear, as he was dying not to tell you until one of those conditions was met. I wish I could my boy."

While upset, and visibly deflating, Naruto still felt better than he had in his whole life. '_I did have a mom! I wasn't just some orphan…' _Naruto thought inwardly smiling. Then he spoke up. "Jiji did they… did they, you know…" his voice changed to a whisper, "love me?" Naruto asked, not daring to hope.

It was then that Sarutobi realized just how bad it was that he had never known of his parents. His fist clenched, trying not to break down as he so wanted he spoke out loudly, but not harshly "Of course they did, Naruto-kun! I've never seen parents who loved their child so much! I am sorry that they died, but know that they both died combating the Kyuubi, not to save the village, but to save **you!**"

"Thanks, Ojii-san" was Narutos simple, polite rely.

Sarutobi debated saving the rest of what he had until the next day to let Naruto absorb what he had already taken, but went against that so that the boy might have something happier to absorb as well.

"Naruto-kun, there is one more thing I wanted to tell you tonight." He paused seeing the boys mixed look of hope for good news, and preparation for the worst. _'What a strange mix, but with his life and the night he's had tonight, it is no wonder he can fit so much emotion on one face' _Sarutobi mused. "You might not know it, but most of the clans in Konoha train some of their children above and beyond what the academy teaches them." He stopped, counting down from three in his head.

"WHAT! But that's not fair, Jiji! What about the people that don't have clans?" Naruto shouted, far too loudly for the time of night it currently was approaching.

"I know this, Naruto. But the clans have some privileges that the Shodaime promised them. So it is allowed. Now, I've wanted to help you out since last year when you started at the Academy, but the council blocked me. It is time I fixed that." He slowly walked over to the painting of the Shodaime near the door out of his office and flipped it to reveal a hidden safe there. After a quick sequence of numbers unseen to Naruto and some rummaging in it he closed the heavy iron door and returned to his desk.

"Naruto, these are the first part of your inheritance from your mother. She asked that if she died, I give these to you at certain time so that you could learn all of the family techniques and history." He shook his head in mirth watching the boy in front of him nearly bouncing, thinking about having a family inheritance.

"I want you to know, though. That these will all be a bit above your level, and some of them might not even suit you at all, okay?" Watching the boy nod affirmative, he went on with the last big surprise for the night. "There is one last thing, and then I imagine you would want to go home and sleep after such a long day. I have talked to a personal friend of your mothers, one that your mother trained when she was a Jounin here. Her name is Uzuki Yuugao and she has agreed, if you are willing to train you a little bit every week to help you be the best ninja you can be."

Naruto, almost catatonically happy at this point could only nod happily for almost a minute. It worried Sarutobi that the boy had been so quiet tonight, but then again, if he had taken in so much, after having been beaten again so recently, he would probably be silent too.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS! I'm going to be the best ninja ever, Jiji! Don't you forget it!" came Narutos cry when it finally finished processing in his mind.

'_Or maybe I just thought too soon.' _ Sarutobi mused _'But at least he is looking like his old self' _

"With all that said, Naruto, I would like to talk to you again in a few days once this has all settled in, if you don't mind?" The boy nodded and he went on "Good, then I'll ask one of these ANBU to take you home and let you get some rest. And remember Naruto, they always loved you."

The walking bottle of exuberance could only nod happily with unshed tears in his eyes before walking off with the ANBU that had appeared.

* * *

Upon arriving home Naruto immediately put the three scrolls from his mother under a hidden floor board to keep them safe. Once sure they would be okay until the morning he tucked the photo Jiji had given him into an old frame with no glass, and laid on his bed.

As he slowly drifted to sleep his last thought was _'I love you too, mom. I'll make your and dad proud!'_

* * *

A/N:

So, this is not my first story. But it is my first Naruto story. I'd first like to say, concerning this story, that I will try to update as fast as possible, but it will never be faster than a week between chapters. Although I will try to keep it to less than a month max. Also, it was a little slow, and because of it being a **prologue** there wasn't much real meat to the story anyway. But come the next chapter a couple years will pass, stuff will happen and the ball will get rolling.

So, now on the other things. I love reviews, but I don't demand them. Leave them if you want, makes me happy. Don't leave them, I'll live. But I don't take kindly to unnecessary flames and useless bashing.

By all means, tell me what I did wrong, and give me any advice (especially if you are an author too) that you would be willing to give. But if you just come in and say "Oh this sucks, I hate this. Etc etc" the screw off. I'm not making you read it.

Two other matters. First and most importantly. I NEED BETA! Please, Beta with free time, any Beta. I need you.

Second. If at any point, in this chapter or any to come you ever see something that seems a whole lot like it came too closely (like word for word or way to close to a certain scene.) let me know. I have read so damn many fanfics here it isn't even funny. And while I don't remember every single on, and every detail, the odd scene does slip into my mind, and sometimes I forget they aren't mine. Let me know if this happens. I will either remove it, if the author wants, or give them credit and alter it a bit to make it a bit unique. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope to see many new names and conversations as this story goes.


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